aaamusic | On 08, May 2011

Swedish metal legends In Flames (one of the perennial darling t-shirt bands of the warlock brigade) are going digital. Fear not, this doesn’t mean they’ve gone Europop on us. Simply that these titans of ten-tonne riffing have decided to release their latest single ‘Deliver Us’ via the internet.

And what exactly are we being given here? A sinister keyboard intro, with throbbing synth sounds descends via rapid guitar scales into a chugging, churning behemoth of a track. Gothic (but never remotely goth) keyboards only serve as shred of tattered beauty draped on the savage downtuned meat of the song. The drumming is a solid stomp that really hits home how beautifully unpretentious this band are. Even in the light of heavy metal’s obsession with widdly solos and brooding ominous mood, there’s a workmanlike edge to the musicianship that means we can headbang and roar to our hearts’ content without feeling like we’re lower beings. Overblown technicality is left aside to make room for a set of riffs sharp enough to take your eye out, bass chugging lower than the instrument’s knee-bothering position, and guttural yet never self-parodying heavy metal snarls.

Century Media have really got their hands on a gem here. There is a reason In Flames are such a legendary band. Metal to the bone without needing to alienate any curious onlookers, they have delivered what they do best: undoubtedly brutal, tantalisingly accessible and never anything other than the best Scandinavian metalwork, these sonic blacksmiths have once again pulled from their forge something rather excellent.

Author: Katie H-Halinski